In a notable statement Monday afternoon, Lebanon called for direct dialogue with Israel on “a permanent arrangement for the security and stability of its borders” while accusing the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah of betraying the state.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun detailed his plans in a virtual meeting with European Union officials, in which he harshly criticized Hezbollah and Israel for “attempts to corner the homeland.” He accused Israel of “not respecting the laws of war or international law.” Aoun said Israel’s attack on Lebanon had displaced more than 600,000 people and killed more than 400 people, including many women and children.
Israel steps up attacks on southern Beirut
Israel has stepped up attacks on the southern outskirts of Beirut. It said it was targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is home to the militia group. Matthew Chance, CNN’s chief global affairs correspondent, reports from the field.
But it is his criticism of Hezbollah that is important. Aoun called the Shiite Muslim group “an armed group that does not care about Lebanon’s national interests or the lives of its people,” and said Hezbollah “wants to achieve the collapse of the Lebanese state under aggression and chaos.” He accused the group of working “in the interests of the Iranian regime.”
“Following Hezbollah’s decision to join the fighting in areas surrounding Iran, a decision that greatly embarrassed the Lebanese government, Beirut authorities’ main concern became a clear separation from Hezbollah’s actions, primarily to avoid inflicting the deadly costs of full-scale Israeli retaliation on the entire country,” said Joseph Bahaut, director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Studies at American University. Beirut.
Aoun called for a renewed effort, supported by the international community, to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, while helping the Lebanese army disarm Hezbollah and confiscate its weapons. The initiative would establish a “complete ceasefire” that would halt Israeli attacks as the two countries begin “direct negotiations with international support” to achieve a “final cessation of hostilities” and “durable arrangements for border security and stability.” Under Aoun’s idea, Israel would gradually withdraw from occupied areas in southern Lebanon and its forces would be replaced by the Lebanese Army.
Although the Lebanese government last week declared Hezbollah’s military activities illegal, the Lebanese government does not have the necessary military forces to effectively disarm Hezbollah on its own. Still, Aoun pointed to the importance of the March 2 decision, saying: “This is something we want to do clearly and decisively.”
However, Lebanon’s inability to implement this decision makes this new initiative questionable at best.
“The central flaw and limitation of the Lebanese initiative is that without substantial and decisive progress on the commitment to disarm Hezbollah, any negotiations that Lebanon undertakes will be seen as futile and futile,” Bahaut said.
It is unclear whether Israel will follow Aoun’s ideas. An Israeli military commander has said that Israel will not stop operations in Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, but there appears to be little room for diplomacy, especially as heavy fighting continues along the border. Israel has also issued evacuation warnings for much of southern Lebanon, parts of the capital Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley in an effort to target Hezbollah across Lebanon.
Despite a nominal 2024 ceasefire, Israel has been conducting near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of attempting to rearm and rebuild. Immediately after the joint US-Israeli attack, Hezbollah joined the fighting by firing six projectiles into northern Israel. This gave the Israeli government all the reasons it needed to launch a major operation against Hezbollah, including repeated airstrikes and special forces raids on Lebanese territory.
Eyal Zisser, a professor of Middle East history at Tel Aviv University, called the Lebanese president’s statement “a cry for help from a country, president and prime minister who has lost control of its territory.” Mr. Zisser was skeptical of Mr. Aoun’s efforts to reach out to the international community, saying the effort “will not yield any results.”
“I don’t think it’s realistic in the current situation,” he told CNN.
On Monday afternoon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced his support for continued attacks on Lebanon. “From now on, we must not only avoid withdrawal, but also seize opportunities to attack Hezbollah,” he said in a statement.
“Diplomacy and a return to a ceasefire are our best chance of avoiding chaos in Lebanon,” European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas said in a statement.
